


soak

by birdinglasses



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Caretaking, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, jaehyun coddling doyoung for 4 hours straight, literally 4k of dojae in a bathtub, soft!dojae ftw, they are so in love it hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 09:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17322614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdinglasses/pseuds/birdinglasses
Summary: “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked as he pressed a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s shoulder.Turning as soon as the sound of Jaehyun’s velvet voice hit the shell of his ear, Doyoung looked up at him through his wet lashes and sighed dejectedly, “I don’t want to talk about it.” The rims of his eyes were red and puffy, and his runny nose matched, still sniffling in between breaths.Jaehyun hummed in understanding, “Bad day?”





	soak

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is the first time i've written anything related to nct, but i hope you enjoy this soft little glimpse of dojae being sickeningly in love with each other uwu

Doyoung’s day had been absolutely disastrous. Though he knew (hoped) every bad day would eventually come with a good one, he still felt the weight of the past twelve hours beating down on his chest.

He’d woken up happier than usual. There was something about the warmth of the sunlight just barely peeking through the curtains of the bedroom, his messy-haired boyfriend laying next to him, that had him eager to live another day. He’d strode into the kitchen, cooking an entire breakfast for the both of them instead of settling for a stale bowl of cereal and a hot cup of instant coffee like he usually did. He’d smiled as he brushed his teeth and combed his hair, so much so that Jaehyun had asked him if he was feeling alright, to which Doyoung simply replied that he felt good. And rarely did he feel this good this early. Normally, Jaehyun would have to lay it on thick when they both woke up, smothering his groggy boyfriend in flowery kisses that would bloom red roses across his cheeks like freckles. Of course, Doyoung would whine in protest at first ( _ “Jaehyun you haven’t even brushed your teeth yet!” _ ), but it’d never last long—being under Jaehyun’s pure, unadulterated affections was a miracle remedy for the crankiest of moods.

That is, until he stepped into the office and had immediately been berated by his boss, all illusions of a good day disappearing the same way they’d come, jarringly. The yelling was so loud he was sure any passersby walking down the street could recite every syllable spat at him. According to his boss’s words, as supervisor, his division’s actions were a direct reflection of Doyoung’s own character and work ethic, and well, his coworkers were lazy and good for nothing at best, unless you were in desperate need of subpar effort and a lack of time management skills. In that case, you might as well have won the lottery. Several projects had been missing upon their deadlines, and the others that  _ had  _ made their deadlines were haphazardly thrown together and clearly never looked over. In Doyoung’s defense, however, he’d been on his division’s ass for weeks, nagging about the deadlines, emphasizing the importance that they be done thoroughly and diligently, but he could only do so much—he was a supervisor, not a babysitter, after all. He had his own workload to worry about. But, despite trying to voice this, his boss had only continued to talk over him and ignore his reasoning, dismissing it as excuses for his sheer lack of responsibility (“ _ You’re on thin ice, Doyoung. One more slip up, and you’re fired _ ”).

Perhaps that’s why the turn of events at work had left him so drained and dejected, turning into bed as soon as he’d come home, dignity worn from the humiliation of being quite openly (and loudly) yelled at in front of the entire office and staff, exhaust sinking under his skin from the extra time he’d put in to finish what his division failed to even start. Mornings spent waking up as anything besides an irritated mess was something few and far in between for Doyoung. So, when he awoke this morning to the roles reversed, drowning Jaehyun in his own adorations for a change, it was only natural that when the invisible rug under his feet was so viciously ripped from beneath him, he’d find himself stumbling to get through the rest of the day. Being reprimanded was never something that got under Doyoung’s skin. His prickly attitude he wore to work made it easy to take the blunt scoldings and borderline verbal abuse. After all, you can’t ruin a good mood that was never there to begin with. But walking in to work feeling  _ happy _ was something new, something he wanted to hold onto, and so it only hurt that much more when the affliction of his boss’s immense anger tore that away from him.

He wished the day would have its end already, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep and, hopefully, never wake up, which led him to his current position: stomach-down on his bed, suit and tie still on and his arms and legs tucked into his body like a child, his head pushed into the pillows as tears wet and stained the sheets. He didn’t have an appetite left for dinner. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to be awake for dinner—he’d rather just sleep the day off, cram in a few extra hours for wallowing in humiliation and feeling sorry for himself, and then get up in the morning and pretend it all never happened.

After two hours spent crying and falling in and out of sleep from the drowsiness that came with emotional exhaustion, Jaehyun finally came home. He’d texted Doyoung to let him know he’d been held up at work, something that wasn’t entirely unusual for either of them, but Doyoung had left his phone to buzz on the nightstand, officially shutting himself out from the world and anyone trying to communicate. Jaehyun hadn’t thought much of the lack of response, either. It wasn’t uncommon for the other to get lost in his own work, all other distractions casted out of his mind. At times when Doyoung brought home work with him, his boyfriend would practically have to rip his laptop out of his hands just to sit him down for a meal and assure he didn’t go to bed on an empty stomach.

Upon arrival, Jaehyun toed his shoes off at the front door, calling out for Doyoung who’d normally be waiting for him on the sofa, glass of wine in hand and flipping through tv channels, but the living room was vacant when he walked in. His brows furrowed, confused.  _ Maybe Doyoung had a late night at work as well _ , he thought,  _ that would explain why my text was left unanswered _ . Nonetheless, he quietly padded down the hallway, cracking open the door to their shared bedroom and poking his head in, ready to call out for his boyfriend again, but the name caught on his tongue before he could get the two syllables out.

Doyoung was laying on their bed, his suit jacket now removed and his tie loosened, though his head was still stuffed into his pillow. He sniffled and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.  _ So that’s why I hadn’t heard back from him. _ Sighing inwardly, Jaehyun tiptoed to the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the floorboards that squeaked, before sliding his own body behind Doyoung’s and pulling him flush against his chest. The only response he received from the other man was a hushed whimper. Silence filled the room as they laid there, time ticking as Jaehyun rubbed tender circles over Doyoung’s stomach, hoping this would coax some words out of him, but to no avail.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked as he pressed a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s shoulder.

Turning as soon as the sound of Jaehyun’s velvet voice hit the shell of his ear, Doyoung looked up at him through his wet lashes and sighed dejectedly, “I don’t want to talk about it.” The rims of his eyes were red and puffy, and his runny nose matched, still sniffling in between breaths.

Jaehyun hummed in understanding, “Bad day?”

Doyoung nodded. His boyfriend’s syrupy eyes searched his, hand coming up to caress his face, thumb grazing his cheeks to wipe at the lingering tears. He knew that look, was accustomed to seeing it regularly. Jaehyun was gauging where his head was at, wordlessly piecing together what Doyoung needed and how to give it to him. It was something he’d grown to love about Jaehyun, the way he could so easily read his emotions with the willingness to give him whatever it was he needed, an insatiable desperation to help. When they’d first met, it’d terrified Doyoung how quickly Jaehyun could pick up on his emotions, like he was seeing right through him, body made of cellophane. It’d made him feel vulnerable, and Doyoung, who’d spent his entire life keeping himself hidden, had hated that he couldn’t hide from Jaehyun. And, yet in the same breath, he’d come to find he’d never felt more wholly known, not a detail of him gone unnoticed. Jaehyun always had a way of knowing what to do (even when Doyoung was clueless to what he wanted), touches that felt like melted kisses across his skin and hugs that felt like a barrier between him and his own hurt. With Jaehyun, words felt of little importance when just the intertwining of their hands could anchor Doyoung in the roughest of seas. And, with time, Doyoung had learned to strip himself bare.

“How about I run us a bath, yeah?” Jaehyun wagered.

Frankly, Doyoung didn’t really have the energy to wash up right now, but he couldn’t lie, the thought of soaking in a hot bath with Jaehyun did sound relaxing, the steam seeping into his skin and washing the pent up tension away, and so he nodded gingerly in agreement. Jaehyun smiled, dimples poking out of his cheeks, and gave him a quick kiss—too quick, in fact, Doyoung’s lips missed the sensation as soon as it was gone—and uncoiled himself from his boyfriend before disappearing into their ensuite bathroom. The vague sound of running water could be heard from the bedroom, and Doyoung was left lonesome to wallow a bit longer, and perhaps think about how he’d gotten so lucky with Jaehyun because, despite his natural intellect, he still couldn’t quite figure that one out.

Re-emerging some minutes later, Jaehyun leaned over Doyoung before scooping him up and carrying him bridal style into their bathroom and carefully setting him down on the edge of the tub. It was currently filled to the brim with hot water, molehills made of bubbles floating on top and the entire room smelling quite fragrant of lavender. The scent alone had Doyoung’s muscles relaxing and his bruised ego healing over.

“Let’s get you out of these clothes,” Jaehyun supplied, nudging Doyoung’s legs apart so he could stand between them and began pulling off his boyfriend’s tie before his fingers started undoing the line of buttons down his white shirt. Staring up at his concentrated face, Doyoung thought he looked like an angel, an angel just for him. Only for him. He didn’t even realize his shirt had been peeled off him until he saw the way Jaehyun’s eyes, like melted chocolate, briefly skimmed across his torso, hands rubbing circles in his sides.

Pulling at where his hands rested on his waist, Jaehyun pulled Doyoung up and reached for his belt, moving slowly to unbuckle it and unzip his boyfriend’s slacks. The black fabric fell to the tiled floor and, despite Doyoung being fully capable of stepping out of them on his own, Jaehyun still grabbed his hand to steady him as he did so, treating his boyfriend as though he were made of precious glass (and if asked, Jaehyun would say he was made of something far more valuable and even more fragile, though he’d leave the fragile part out for Doyoung’s ego’s sake). 

Taking the initiative to do the rest, Doyoung stripped himself of his briefs and peeled his socks off as Jaehyun watched carefully, waiting until he was fully submerged in the water before beginning to undress himself.

As soon as the hot water hit Doyoung’s body, he sighed deeply in relief, his eyes shutting in relaxation. His eyes opened again, however, if only just to watch his boyfriend shimmy out of his clothes in front of him. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of looking at Jaehyun. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of  _ Jaehyun _ .

Feeling his stare, Jaehyun asked, “Enjoying the view?” His back faced Doyoung as he pulled off his boxers, ass cheeks on full display just because he knew his boyfriend was watching. Doyoung giggled in response and shook his head before letting his eyelids lull shut once more, hands propping him up from behind.

The water sloshed around him as he felt Jaehyun sit down behind him and place a gentle kiss on his shoulder. His hands rubbed soothingly along Doyoung’s arms and thighs as if caressing the man’s body was like molding clay. Doyoung leaned back into his chest and hummed, the longer he soaked in the water, soaked in Jaehyun’s attention, the more the weight of the day rolled off his shoulders and dissolved.

Jaehyun’s roaming hands moved up to Doyoung’s shoulders, melting the tension out of the muscles as he worked his way up to his scalp, wetting his hair as he massaged the follicles. Once his raven black hair was dripping with water, Doyoung felt his boyfriend’s hands leave his head to which he groaned at and turned around in the porcelain tub to find the reason for the loss in contact.

“I’m just grabbing shampoo, you big baby,” Jaehyun chuckled, eyes sparkling as he grabbed a plastic bottle sitting on the ledge and squirted a copious amount into his hand. Scoffing under his breath at the name calling, Doyoung refused to admit that maybe he  _ was  _ a bit of a baby. And, maybe, just maybe, sometimes he actually did enjoy being coddled by Jaehyun. And, Jaehyun, being the oh-so perceptive man he was, already knew of this, was very aware of this fact, and was even more willing to provide. Though, it was always in subtle ways, so inconspicuously weaved into his affections that Doyoung wouldn’t even realize when he was doing it, and that was the best part. Because self righteous Kim Doyoung would have the biggest of bitch fits upon realizing how much his boyfriend really babied him. Kim Doyoung was independent, he didn’t need anyone but himself to rely on. But boy did he need Jaehyun. 

“C’mere,” Jaehyun’s empty hand tugged at his knee to pull him impossibly closer to him, their legs folded on top of one another’s. Reaching up, he began lathering Doyoung’s hair with shampoo, breaking his concentrated stare every once in a while to meet his eyes and leave feathered kisses to the tip of his nose and cheeks because, well, he supposed it would be absolute blasphemy if he didn’t take advantage of the fact that their faces were mere inches apart. The tickling sensation on his nose combined with Jaehyun’s fingers working through his hair almost had him dozing off, Jaehyun being the only thing keeping him awake as his body fought off sleep, quickly pecking Doyoung’s lips to keep the lethargy at bay. Pecks, of course, were never enough for Doyoung, and soon he was awake and begging “Kiss me properly” to which Jaehyun happily obliged, intermittently giving him sweet, languid kisses just because he asked.

Once washing out the shampoo, Jaehyun turned to grab a bottle of body wash, but Doyoung swiftly pulled at his wrist, whining, “Let me do you, too.” Because Doyoung always wanted Jaehyun to remember their relationship was a two way street, constantly giving and taking and then giving some more.

“I’m supposed to be pampering  _ you _ , remember?” Jaehyun laughed, “this isn’t about me.”

“I don’t care,” Doyoung replied pompously before grabbing the shampoo bottle back off the ledge with little time for Jaehyun to protest, smothering his hands in the liquid, and running his hands through his boyfriend’s hair. A moan of satisfaction emitted from Jaehyun’s mouth as he massaged the strands, Doyoung smirking to himself triumphantly.  _ I knew it _ . Jaehyun always liked to pretend he didn’t require much attention from the other, but Doyoung had known him long enough to see right through his deflective actions, always striving to make sure Jaehyun was taken care of as much as he was—though, making his boyfriend feel good was as therapeutic as it was an ego boost. While the attention to his emotions was healing, sometimes it wasn’t always what he needed. Sometimes he just needed Jaehyun, just needed to be near him, needed to know he was there physically. And sometimes, flipping their dynamic on its head and taking care of him when Doyoung was hurting was fulfilling enough to tear his own worrying emotions out of his chest long enough to look at them at a distance and determine how to resolve them. Extending love in an effort to watch it loop back around into himself.

Jaehyun didn’t wait long before he insisted on washing the shampoo out of his hair and turned the attention back onto Doyoung. After all, the evening was supposed to be about him and his troubles—troubles that seemed to be disappearing as their fingers and toes pruned up. Squeezing a chamomile scented liquid onto a bright blue loofa, Jaehyun let it suds up in the water as he took Doyoung’s hands and began massaging each of his fingers, rolling the slender things between his own before moving up to his palm, rubbing the tension out with every circular movement. Lifting his hand up to his mouth, he placed small, gentle kisses to the pads of each of his fingers, his eyes softening as he stared at Doyoung. He pulled the loofa out of the water then, washing away the kisses he’d left all over his hand and continued like this up his arm, Jaehyun peppering kisses across his skin, clusters of goosebumps rising on his lips’ path up his arm before he swiped the loofa over them, washing them away with the heat of the water. He worshipped every part of Doyoung’s body that was accessible above the bath water, keeping a tantalizingly slow pace as he moved now to his neck and jaw, leaving no span of skin untended to.

Doyoung’s stomach was swarming with butterflies. After years with Jaehyun, he was still mesmerized at just how much he was affected by the other. Frankly, he found it a bit ridiculous and annoying at times—he really was putty in Jaehyun’s hands, running to him at every beckon and call, hanging on his every word like it was gospel.  _ How pathetic _ , he’d originally thought. However, now, he doesn’t think he’d want it any other way. Doyoung wasn’t the only one wrapped around the other’s finger. Jaehyun would move mountains for him simply because he wanted a better view of the sunset.

A kiss pressed to a particularly sensitive spot on the underside of his jaw made Doyoung shudder, feeling Jaehyun’s breath fan over his neck as he chuckled at the reaction and rubbed the kiss away with the sudsy loofa. Doyoung swatted his arm at his teasing, and Jaehyun pulled his head back to smile sweetly, cheeks dimpling, at him, craning his neck to place one last kiss to Doyoung’s forehead. The other’s hands skimmed the surface of the water, scooping up the remnants of the bubbles and stuck them on his boyfriend’s chin to create a fluffy white beard.

“You should grow out your facial hair like that, it looks really hot,” Doyoung said, stifling laughter.

Jaehyun’s eyes sparked with amusement, “Oh, you think so? Personally, I think it’d look better on you.”

Before Doyoung could ask what he meant, Jaehyun’s arm was hooking around his waist, water splashing around them as he pulled him straight into his lap and began rubbing his chin all over his face, transferring the bubbles from his own face to Doyoung’s. Yelping in complaint, Doyoung tried to wriggle out of his arms and get away from the bubble attack, but Jaehyun was much stronger and only held on tighter as he twisted around. Within seconds, Doyoung gave up, surrendering to the bubbles currently splayed across his cheeks and eyebrow, pouting as his boyfriend’s own bubble-covered face grinned from ear to ear, giggling between his teeth. He rolled his eyes but still found the corner of his own mouth quirking up ever so slightly at Jaehyun’s childlike expression, and Jaehyun took that as his cue to close the gap between them and slot his lips against Doyoung’s, one of his hands rested on his waist sliding up his torso to snake around the nape of his neck, angling his head just right.

They stayed like this, stuck in time, mumbles of “I love you’s” whispered into each other’s mouths until the water they sat in had lost all warmth and their fingertips shrivelled up to a frightening semblance of raisins. The makeout session, though needy and maybe a little handsy at times, was gentle, careful almost, kisses sweet and slow, savoring every moment their lips connected and tongues licked into mouths. Both men were enamored, intoxicatingly in love, the world blurring around them and their only focus being on each other. When they finally got out of the tub, Jaehyun toweling off Doyoung’s hair for him, Doyoung couldn’t help but admire the man standing before him, notice the flecks of gold in his eyes, drag a finger down the slope of his nose, cup his cheek and soak up the sight in front of him. “You are so beautiful,” he spoke softly.

Jaehyun’s busy arms ceased their movement, the apples of his cheeks and tips of his ears burning the lightest wash of pink before deflecting, “Feeling better, are we?”

Doyoung only nodded in response, pulling the towel off his head to dry Jaehyun’s hair, combing his fingers through the ruffled locks to keep it out of his eyes. Jaehyun couldn’t keep his eyes off him as he did it, eyes glistening with adoration and cheeks gone doughy from the smile plastered across his face. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to live without him.

Doyoung swatted his arm for the second time that evening, “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Looking at you like what?” Jaehyun chuckled. He knew exactly the way he was looking at him, but he thought it was cute to see Doyoung flustered, always so bold until he was the center of attention.

“Like  _ that _ !” Doyoung emphasized when Jaehyun continued to look at him in wonderment, transfixed on tracing every curve and line of Doyoung’s face. He tilted his head and pouted in mock confusion.

“Forget it,” Doyoung finally spluttered, his entire face now blushing a bright shade of pink. Jaehyun’s head leaned back as he laughed before pulling his embarrassed boyfriend towards his naked body and kissing him through his smile.

“I love you,” he cooed, giving Doyoung one last peck before leaving him to stand by himself in the middle of their bathroom, butt ass naked. He returned with two sets of clean clothes, but Doyoung refused the shirt handed to him, instead opting for the button up Jaehyun had taken off before they’d gotten in the bath, and a pair of boxers. Truthfully, the cotton shirt Jaehyun brought probably would’ve been a bit more comfortable, but it didn’t smell like Jaehyun, didn’t bring him the comfort that wearing Jaehyun’s clothes did. And so he left it on the counter, his boyfriend watching amusedly as he buttoned up his shirt, sighing contentedly. Jaehyun had no protests, he’d always loved the way Doyoung looked in his clothes.

Summoning Jaehyun out of his own thoughts as he ogled him, Doyoung’s voice cut through the silence in typical pretentious fashion, “I know I’m quite the sight to look at, but can you hurry up and get dressed? I’m hungry.”

“That’s a big attitude for someone who was beet red from me staring not even a minute ago, don’t you think?” Jaehyun challenged, pulling a t-shirt over his head and slipping on the pair of sweats he’d brought for Doyoung.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Doyoung scoffed.

“Of course you don’t,” Jaehyun rolled his eyes and grinned, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist from behind  and resting his head on his shoulder, waddling them out of the bathroom, “what do you want to eat?”

They walked in unison, swaying back and forth as they made their way to the kitchen, separating only to scour the cupboards and fridge for ingredients. After assessing their appetites and what they had available to them, agreeing upon fried rice, and before Doyoung could even turn the stove on, Jaehyun was pushing him out of the kitchen and sitting him down at the counter instead, insisting that Doyoung should rest. Doyoung, of course, huffed out in protest—he’d already let Jaehyun take care of him enough—but the other tuned it out, refusing to budge as he tied an apron around himself and began heating up a skillet. Doyoung watched as he skillfully worked the kitchen, chopping and sauteing vegetables with ease, mixing in the leftover rice in their fridge, and frying up a few eggs to garnish. The meal was cooked in minutes. And it had Doyoung thinking, maybe it was better he hadn’t interfered in preparing dinner. He most likely would’ve only been a hindering obstacle rather than a helpful sous chef. A mildly hurt ego had nothing on the growling currently resounding from the inside of his stomach, however, and the fact that Doyoung was quite the terrible chef was lost to the aroma of food in the air.

They ate straight out of the pan on the living room floor, turning the tv on to watch as they munched, though it was soon left forgotten as they conversed, Doyoung finally divulging the details of what had initially made him so upset. Jaehyun hummed in sympathy, squeezing his hand across the coffee table and offering kind words of reassurance (and the off comment that he would have a word with his boss if need be to which Doyoung adamantly denied would be necessary). They weren’t much needed—Doyoung had already let go of the hurt—but the gestures still swaddled him in warmth. Sometimes, it was just comforting enough to be reminded he was cared for.

Somewhere between finishing their meal and letting the tv run through countless episodes of a show they’d since abandoned hours prior, they finally made it into bed. Doyoung had consistently yawned between his words long enough that Jaehyun decided to drag him to bed despite his own incessant whining that he “wasn’t tired yet”. He always liked to pretend he could stay up later than he actually could, if only to try to one up Jaehyun, who had a track record of pulling all nighters like he’d never slept a day in his life. It was always a constant wonder in Doyoung’s head how his boyfriend managed to sleep so little sometimes yet he’d never seen even a resemblance of a dark circle under his eyes. The closest thing he’d ever gotten to that was a black eye from a scuffle he’d gotten into with a drunk his senior year of college. Jaehyun didn’t hear the end of that for weeks after.

_ “How could you be so stupid?!” _

_ “Don’t you know how dangerous that was?” _

_ “You could’ve gotten seriously hurt!” _

Though, coming from Doyoung, Jaehyun knew it really meant something along the lines of, “ _ I love you, please never worry me like that again.” _ And Jaehyun never did.

Now, they laid side by side, limbs tangled together. It was hard to tell where one body started and the other ended. And, despite how tired Doyoung had been when they’d gotten into bed, Jaehyun was the first to fall asleep. Often times, Doyoung stayed up to think, and other times he stayed up just to look at Jaehyun a bit longer. It often felt like one elaborate fever dream, Doyoung feeling like he needed to pinch himself awake. Because, surely, a man like him didn’t exist in real life, and even if he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t be wasting his time with someone like Doyoung. But, every morning, he’d wake up to the same face, the same dimpled smile and light kisses. The same warm hands, stroking up his arms, and the same breath he’d fallen asleep to the night before fanning across his neck. Being with Jaehyun was like standing under the only patch of sunlight on a cloudy day, unbelievably warm and with the feeling it existed solely for him. A bright thing in an ocean of gloom, something golden.

And all Doyoung wanted to do was soak in it.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on twt if you'd like @birdingiasses 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed!! <3 <3 <3


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